Pavillon de Paris


The Pavillon de Paris was a large concert space in Paris, France, located near the Porte de Pantin Métro stop, on the northern edge of the city. With a seating capacity of approximately 10,000 spectators, the Pavillon was the city's largest indoor music arena throughout its brief operating history from September 1975 until 1980. The Pavillon was opened as a music venue at the initiative of KCP, who had previously struggled to present rock concerts in smaller, less suitable venues, most notably the Palais des Sports de Paris.
Many famous rock and pop bands performed at the Pavillon when their tours visited Paris, including The Who, ABBA, AC/DC, Pink Floyd, Supertramp, Kansas, Bob Marley, Queen, The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Neil Young, Earth, Wind & Fire, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen and the perennial French rocker, Johnny Hallyday.
The industrial-looking building that housed the concert space was previously used by a slaughterhouse and meat-packing business, and the surrounding La Villette area was well known as a traditional meat-packing district. As a result, the Pavillon de Paris was also known colloquially as Les Abattoirs, and some of the acts who recorded live performances at the Pavillon chose to refer to the venue as the "Abattoirs". For example, the French film-maker Freddy Hausser made a film of The Rolling Stones performing at the Pavillon that is titled Les Stones aux abattoirs.
In 1980, the Pavillon de Paris was closed, and for the next 3 years, most touring rock bands appeared at the Hippodrome de Pantin in the nearby Parc de la Villette. In 1983, the Hippodrome was itself replaced by Le Zénith de Paris.

Performance chronology